Overnights

Question: How are overnights structured?

Answer: Overnights include care in your home from 10pm - 8am plus a 30 minute dinner time visit that will occur between 4pm - 8pm. This depends on your planned departure and return dates and times. We try to mimic your pet’s usual routine and schedule. If you are departing in the morning, the sitter will usually arrive after work to do the supper-time routine (dinner and yard time, short walk). The sitter may then have to leave to provide care to other pets but will return to spend the night in your home. The next morning, they will get up, do the morning routine (breakfast and yard time/short walk) before leaving for their work day. If your dog requires a midday visit, that is booked separately through the office and is dependent on availability at the time of booking.

Question: What happens if I have friends or family popping in to also check on my pets/home?

Answer: Your contract that you signed with DPSI states that no one else will have access to your home or pets while the booking is happening. Our insurance policy is very strict about this and will not provide coverage for “shared care” bookings. In these cases, clients are required to sign a waiver to this effect. Shared bookings can lead to unnecessary confusion and the margin for error increases greatly.

Question: My pet’s care instructions have changed at the last minute, can I just leave a note out to update the sitter?

Answer: All changes to care instructions must be updated in Time to Pet, our online database. You can access the Time to Pet Database by clicking on the link sent to you via your invoice. We tell our staff that the care instructions found in the database are the most up to date ones. Please do not leave handwritten notes for staff.

Question: What if my dog can’t be left alone for a full work day and I’ve booked overnight care?

Answer: If your dog requires a midday visit you can contact the office to see about availability in your area. Midday visits are not included in the cost of overnight care. We do recommend booking middays when you are booking overnights. We do our best to accommodate based on availability in your area.

Question: If my pet runs out of food/litter or any kind of supplies while I’m away on vacation what will happen?

Answer: DPSI will ensure that items are purchased as needed. We will either purchase the same item or find something similar. We will then send an invoice for those supplies to the client.

Question: Can I meet the assigned sitter?

Answer: All of your care instructions are recorded in our database and are accessible to our entire team - and to you. This means that we will be able to provide the required care, no matter which of our staff are assigned. We are not offering staff meet and greets at this time as likely it will be multiple staff members assigned to your booking.

Question: My building of residence doesn’t have free parking for the sitter. Who pays for parking?

Answer: Paid parking is the responsibility of the client. Usually what will happen is the sitter will pay out of pocket for the cost of parking at each visit and then will submit the receipts to the office who will then invoice the client.

Question: What happens if my pet needs vet care while I’m away?

Answer: If your pet needs to see a vet while you are travelling, we will ensure that happens. It’s best if you leave your credit card on file with your vet and let them know that we are caring for your pet and might be in. As part of our on-boarding process for clients we make sure to know which clinic your pet attends and a detailed medical history of your pet. If your credit card is not on file at your clinic, or we need to attend a different clinic, DPS will cover the cost and invoice the client afterwards.

Question: What if I have more than one pet?

Answer: We are happy to care for as many pets as you have in your home. We do charge an extra fee for additional animals.